LAS VEGAS – Walmart made headlines in recent months with multiple AI announcements. For example, Walmart enabled purchases within ChatGPT and recently partnered with Google to boost AI-enhanced shopping.
Daniel Danker, executive vice president of AI Acceleration at Walmart, recently said at the ICR Conference in Orlando earlier this month that, “This is the year where tinkering becomes transformation…” Was it hyperbole or a sign that 2026 will truly be a transformative year? Prosper Pathway asked the experts.
“Every product solves a frustration. Historically (pre-AI), selling a product relied on informing consumers of a frustration, educating them about it, and eventually selling the product as the solution. By 2026, the ‘education’ step will largely disappear. Product listings, websites, and ads will shift to focus almost entirely on the solution, not on explaining the problem.
“Consumers will increasingly turn to the ‘Big Five’ (Amazon, Google, Meta, Perplexity, and Claude) to volunteer their frustrations directly through LLM interfaces. Those LLMs will then scan the internet for potential solutions and surface options back to the consumer. The LLMs will sell access to those consumers (because they know the consumer’s frustration) to the highest bidder.
“This will begin through text and copywriting, and later evolve into ad placements delivered through graphics and video. Price will matter less than brand expertise. The second change will be less reliance on price. If a customer is buying a solution to a frustration without the education component, they’ll be more reliant on, and more inquisitive about the brand, its expertise, and what it brings to the table.” — Charles Chakkalo, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based entrepreneur (www.CharlesTheSeller.com)
“There’s the old quote ‘gradually, then suddenly’. 2026 is the year AI suddenly becomes everywhere, suddenly becomes shockingly good. Here’s an example; AI generated images have been around for years. At Pixii, AI images now beat 70% of human designers. This means any brand can have listings, ads, and packaging on par with Coca Cola. It means buyers never have to wonder ‘will it fit’ or ‘why should I pick this over a competitor’. Because AI now designs perfect listings. AI assistants like ChatGPT and Rufus will serve up personalized recommendations.
“There will be winners and losers. The brands who use AI will break out. One Pixii user redesigned 80 Amazon listings. Had she hired an agency, this would’ve cost her $100K. Her competitors still have designs from freelancers. Sellers will see traffic from AI bots grow as more start using ChatGPT and other tools. So optimizing for those channels will be the new challenge. The world will look different in 2026, but somehow still the same. We went to the moon, but we still do laundry and enjoy meals. We will adapt fast. Those who adapt faster will have the advantage.” — Monte Desai, founder and CEO of Savannah, Ga.-based Pixii.ai
“Online selling in 2026 won’t radically reinvent itself overnight, but the biggest shift will be where discovery happens. As consumers increasingly rely on AI-driven search, LLMs, and platform-native experiences to find products, brands will need truly omnichannel strategies…because where a customer discovers you is no longer where they ultimately choose to shop.” — Andrew Maffettone, founder and CEO, BlueTuskr, West Chester, Pa.
“I definitely agree with the ‘tinkering becomes transformation’ concept because thus far, most AI agents play with product search approaches in a trial and error fashion already. Eventually, they’ll find that formula. Will it be this year or 2027? It’ll be one of the two, because of the evident leaps and bounds apparent from all the effort to solidify AI’s impact on ecommerce and buyer behavior.
“We have mechanisms in place for grocery item staples– “you’re getting low, better let us reorder some for you” style. One can see how everyone’s “shopping list” becomes an AI agent searching for you anytime, all the time. It’ll find the best price, the quickest shipping and perhaps even a prediction of whether or not the price may change in hours or days to benefit the customer. You’ll begin to trust it.
“People will try out ChatGPT versus Gemini, Rufus versus Sparky and whatever new app comes along, then decide along the way which one got them the best, most accurate info on product details and prices the fastest.” — Chris McCabe, founder, ecommerce Chris
“Online selling in 2026 won’t look dramatically different on the surface, but the way consumers shop will change in a meaningful way. The biggest shift will be fewer decisions, less browsing, less comparison, and more reliance on platforms that understand individual preferences over time.
“As AI improves and platforms get better at remembering what shoppers like, return, or repeatedly buy, shopping will feel less like searching and more like confirming. Consumers will increasingly trust a small set of recommendations surfaced by systems they already use, rather than scrolling through endless options. The winners won’t just be the platforms with the most products, but the ones that can act more like a curator than a search engine.” — Dakota Morse, partner, ALT Group, Venice Beach, Calif.
“As Walmart’s Daniel Danker noted in Retail Dive, AI is moving from tinkering to transformation. I agree. A year from now, online shopping will not feel new. It will feel more intuitive. By 2026, discovery will shift from search to anticipation, with platforms like Walmart inferring intent and guiding shoppers. Advertising will function as infrastructure, with algorithms allocating budgets, bids, and creative toward what they can clearly predict will perform. At the same time, the digital shelf will become dynamic and personal, adapting pricing, content, and promotions in real time. The biggest change will happen behind the screen, not on it.”
— Dani Nadel, president and COO, Feedvisor
“In 2026, online selling will feel meaningfully better for consumers. AI will reduce friction by understanding intent, anticipating needs, and turning shopping into a more guided, conversational experience rather than a sequence of searches and filters. For buyers, this means faster decisions, fewer steps, and more relevant product suggestions, often before they actively start looking for them. For sellers, however, the shift will be far more challenging.
“As AI systems take on a larger role in how products are recommended, bundled, and interpreted, merchants will lose visibility and control over how their products are presented and promoted, and will be subject to constant automated evaluation, testing, and review that leaves little room for context or correction. We are already seeing more account enforcement actions and disputes driven by automated systems rather than human discretion. As these systems operate at scale, even small data or classification issues can quickly affect multiple listings and accounts, making preparation for automated enforcement a practical necessity for sellers in 2026.” — Assaf Sternfeld, CEO, Cabilly & Co.
“In 2026, online selling will feel similar at a glance, but the buying experience will change meaningfully. Consumers will do less scrolling and more ‘intent-based’ shopping, where AI helps narrow choices, recommends bundles, and even automates repeat purchases. That shift raises the bar for brands because your content has to communicate value instantly and clearly, both to shoppers and to the algorithms deciding what gets shown. The brands that win will be the ones that can consistently produce high-quality assets, iterate quickly, and stay relevant across every touchpoint, from search to retail media to AI-driven shopping interfaces.” — Rob Wiltsey, executive producer, VideoFresh